Kreg screws on melamine

[Richard Ljungquist]

Hello all,

 

I'm about to build some kitchen cabinets using melamine. Can coarse thread screws be used on it? Will it hold?

 

All opinions are welcome.

Thanks,

Rich L

[kenny from Sundre]

I would use coarse thread screws on melamine. If you have ever assembled any sotre bought packages, i.e. a computor desk you will find that they come with coarse thread screws.

[Jerry Alfaro]

Yes, but I would also use glue on the joints. 

 

jerry-

[John Schaben]

"Melamine" only defines the plastic coating. Methods used should depend upon what type of substrate it is applied to. Typically around here it is invariably particle board. Some places it can be obtained with MDF and plywood substrates.

[Richard Ljungquist]

Around here it's particle board also. Will the Kreg screws work on that?

John Schaben said:

"Melamine" only defines the plastic coating. Methods used should depend upon what type of substrate it is applied to. Typically around here it is invariably particle board. Some places it can be obtained with MDF and plywood substrates.

[John Schaben]

Should work, be careful not to overtorque, clamp well so you don't need to depend on the screws to draw it tight. Glue on the screw threads in additon to the joint itself wouldn't hurt a thing.
Richard Ljungquist said:

Around here it's particle board also. Will the Kreg screws work on that?

John Schaben said:

"Melamine" only defines the plastic coating. Methods used should depend upon what type of substrate it is applied to. Typically around here it is invariably particle board. Some places it can be obtained with MDF and plywood substrates.

[John Schaben]

I've been thinking about this some since my last post. I don't hink the glue is going to hold very well to the melamine so I think it's going to come down to where the joint is being used and what type of stresses are expectected. kitchen cabinets I would think they would be OK as they get bolted to a wall and seldom move. They do carry some weight but it is typically static. I would be more concerned about dynamic forces that would "work" the screws. May be somebody else can weigh in here as I tend to avoid screws in particle board if at all possible so I haven't much experience with them. The little experience I have had has been less then stellar.

John Schaben said:

Should work, be careful not to overtorque, clamp well so you don't need to depend on the screws to draw it tight. Glue on the screw threads in additon to the joint itself wouldn't hurt a thing.
Richard Ljungquist said:

Around here it's particle board also. Will the Kreg screws work on that?

John Schaben said:

"Melamine" only defines the plastic coating. Methods used should depend upon what type of substrate it is applied to. Typically around here it is invariably particle board. Some places it can be obtained with MDF and plywood substrates.

[Jay Boutwell]

http://www.rooglue.com/

Hi Richard, I spoke with you in the chat session the other night and you were inquiring about melamine and screws.  In that session I told you that the screws would hold and mentioned to you that although I try to get my customers to use plywood however some were still insisting on melamine.  Part of the reason was because it was less expensive and then some also perfer the clean look of the smooth surface available in the melamine sheet goods.  Some additional reasons is because it is easier to keep clean.

  I mentioned to you that there was two grades of melamine one the normal mdf with a melamine coating on it and the other was an industrial grade also covered with melamine coating. The industrial grade is the only grade that I would reccomend for use as cabinet box material due to it being much more like a plywood as the wood particles are pressed tighter with more glue in the mix.  That is why I told you that my experience with building cabinets with melamine has been positive and that because it was a tight hard surface that I use the fine thread screw in liew of the course thread.  In my experience with the course thread you get more melamine cracking that you do with fine thread as the aggressive nature of the screw adds more surface pressure to the melamine near the hole.  

The industrial melamine is more like a high density fiber board .  I also told you about a glue that I use.  The link above is to "roo glue" and explains all you will need to answer your questions.  However note that they make one for use on wood and should not be used on wood.  It is a white color and dries to a clear surface and remains elastic much like silicone sealant on glass.  I use it on all joints. 

I also mentioned that the state of California had regulation about how you could use melamine in cabinetry which requires all raw exposed edges to be sealed because of the fact that the glue bonding agent contained formaldahyde which was a cancer causing agent.  I know they have changed the glues as of recent.  I still use the iron on tape on the raw edges. 

As far as durability of these cabinets? They are very good, I have build many in homes as well as in business and medical settings with excellent results. 

 This is a sample of a pocket screw in melamine,  They are fine thread and note they hold extreamly well drawing the joint down tight.  I hope that this helps explain what i was trying to say in the chat session the other night.  May I have explained it better and hope  you get the information you need,  Feel free to inquire of me for any additional help that i may have.

[Richard Ljungquist]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for your replies.

 

Jay, I never would have thought of using fine thread screws. Your picture looks like the same stuff I see here in the big box stores so I think I'll buy a couple of sheets and make a test cabinet. If a professional like you use the material then it should work for me. (If I build it right.)

 

I'm not quite understanding the use of glue. Since one side of each joint is coated with melamine, I didn't think anything would hold. Do you mean using glue between the box and the face frame?

 

Thanks again to all of you for replying.

Rich

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Richard, on the glue situation it is something that you will not believe until you try it.  It must be the
"roo"brand and like I stated there is two one for wood and one for melamine. Be sure to use the glue for the melamine as it is the only one I have found that will actually bond the malamine together.  At first I was a little doubting until i tried it. When I used it I was amazed my self and upon testing it I found that it was like it actually welded the melamine together.  The glue for the melamine will glue the wood and the melamine together but the glue for wood will not bond the melamine.  It is expensive but a bottle around here cost about $12.00 a pint but it goes along way.  i became aquainted with it as it is made in Woodburn Oregon which is the town about 20 miles north of me and the town I grew up in as a kid.  I know many of the businessmen up there and it inclueds some industrial plants of which includes mobile home and modular home construction and I know several of the guys whom work in the plant and a build cabinets for these homes.  Most of them are melamine based cabinets and that is how I first became aquainted with it.  

Also to ease your mind a little more on  duarability of the cabinets the picture you viewed with  the three kreg screws in it were find thread and were not glued. 

After the post I tested the strength of the joint.  I could not break it by hand and or placing it on the concrete shop floor and standing on it.  I weight 260 lbs and jumped and stomped on the joints with my big old

#13 shop boot and did not break it.  I finally broke it using my framing hammer and literly breaking the melamine from around the screws.  One caution if you build a large cabinet attach the back on it before you rack the joint by lifting as it does put a great stress on the joints if you allow it to rack.  Rotating it from front to back is fine it is the side toside motion that stresses the cabinet joints.  Once the back is on and the face frames it is like a rock.

Good luck witht he build and I am sure you will do just fine.  Any questions, please feel free to inquire of me if you think I can help.

[Ken Darga]

Hi Jay,

Thanks for sharing your insight and tips on the adhesive for melamine---good info.

Sounds like the way to go.

[Richard Ljungquist]

Hi Jay,

 

I'm going to order some of that glue and start my first cabinet next week.

 

Thanks for the detailed information. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Rich

[Jay Boutwell]

You are always welcome Rich,  please feel free to contact me at anytime

Richard Ljungquist said:

Hi Jay,

 

I'm going to order some of that glue and start my first cabinet next week.

 

Thanks for the detailed information. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Rich